I used to think that heaven was about my spirit/soul joining Jesus somewhere in outer space and that everyone would be raptured out of here at the same time. Once we got to heaven there would be something like the Matrix’s version downloading information. We would all know and love God, because God would just bring everyone onto the same page so to speak. There would be no epistemic difference among any of us and we would all spend time worshiping God, with music of course, on our streets of gold occasionally taking time to go into our individually prepared mansions.
I think one of the most exciting chapters in the book is on finances or rather economics. Shane shares a story about a family that owned Josefina Minimart across the street from them. He shares that their kids would come over to do homework, to do their theatre camp and to wipe the floor with them in UNO. Shane and his gang helped rehab this family’s house and they taught Shane’s gang Spanish. Oftentimes this family would need transportation to either restock their shelves or to pick up kids from school and other places. Shane and friends gladly provided these services. They also found out that they could insure their kids under their policy at no extra charge, so they did that too.
They share cars. The family stopped taking money from them for groceries. And at the end of the paragraph Shane writes something great “money has lost its relevance.”
I used to think it might be cool to try and write a paper about kingdom economics. Here’s one thing that Shane’s story makes me think about. As N.T. Wright has shown me numerous times, there is a great deal of continuity between now and the Eschaton. So though we will be resurrected in glorified bodies, they will still reflect the human body in some sense. And though there will be a new earth, it will still reflect the beauty of this earth. Hence the importance on the Irenaic/Wright et. all theme of restoration and why Clark Pinnock argues, and I think rightly, that the same power behind creation is the one behind redemption.
All that to say if there is a good deal of continuity like Wright argues, I wonder if certain anthropological functions might also hang around in the eschatological vision. It would seem absurd for someone to be hungry in the kingdom, but I wonder if there won’t be something like the need to share as is shown above?
If so it strikes me that Shane really has found heaven on earth and given meaning to the already/not yet concept.
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3 comments:
This sounds like the most beautiful chapter in the book. The wonderfully counter-cultural message of the gospel is embodied in Shane's statement, "Money has lost its relevance." This points to the reality of God's covenantal love for the world, where people share God's unlimited bounty with one another so that every human measure of wealth and sustenance is made irrelevant in light of God's truly relevant provision. Thanks for blogging your way through this Josh, and especially for capturing this most beautiful expression of the gospel reality gracious given to us in Jesus Christ.
I have wondered if about the realities of the eschaton in light of its presence now. It seems to me, and from reading Shane's book, that the eschaton will be different because people will have truly learned how to meet the needs of others. Poor people would exist, but the love of God is so vibrantly present in the people of God that they share in that sort of intentional community. I think that this is one of the primary importances of the idea of intentional community. God has set things up in such a way that some people must have their needs met through the generosity and love and people and when we don't do that the Kingdom vanishes. While I believe this, I have the same struggles as you Josh of how to live that out in these varied circumstances.
Interesting thoughts. I really figured y’all would have thought the world had enough problems to solve. Well, if I get to heaven and need a loaf a bread or see someone who does, I’ll know to look for y’all. Cause I’m sure by then you guys will have a plan put together on how to fix the problems. However, if ya don’t got yourselves a great plan ya spose rather than praying to the one who gives the limitless bounty we could just kindly ask him for another loaf or maybe a pint?
-I love Y’all, Tom
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